Actress and comedian Nika King has no clue when Euphoria will return to television. During a recent stand-up comedy set at the Los Angeles Improv, the 44-year-old actress revealed that she was struggling to pay rent and book roles while waiting for the green light on Season 3 of the HBO series.
“Season 3 is coming out. I don’t fucking know. Don’t ask me. I don’t know,” the star, who plays Leslie Bennett in the popular drama, said in a clip shared on Instagram March 5.
“I don’t know. It’s one of those things. People are like, ‘We need Season 3.’ I’m like, fuck, I need Season 3! I haven’t paid my rent in six months.”
As the crowd let out a bout of laughter, King urged co-star Zendaya, who portrays Rue — Bennett’s drug-addicted daughter — to come back stateside from Paris Fashion Week and help to get a third season moving with producers.
“Zendaya’s over in Paris at Fashion Week, and I’m like, ‘Bitch, come home! I need you! Mama needs you,”‘ she quipped, eliciting more laughs from the crowd. While smiling, the South Los Angeles resident claimed that her financial woes were “serious” and nothing to laugh about.
“I haven’t booked nothing since Euphoria. This is some bullshit. I thought my career was on the rise after Euphoria. I thought I was good,” King said. “It don’t work that way. I called Taraji [P. Henson] and she was like, ‘Bitch, get used to it,’” the Funny Married Stuff star added.
Fans poured into King’s comments section to wish her luck and send love amid her Hollywood dry spell.
“The acting you did in season 2 was top-tier! You deserved some awards and to be in some movies,” wrote one user.
Another fan penned, “This breaks my heart. You are one of the best actors on the show and deserve to be booking roles left and right. SMH!”
A third Instagram user chimed in, “Your time is coming! Your performance on Euphoria was the chef’s kiss.”
The captivating drama Euphoria, which revolves around a group of troubled high school students and stars Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney and Salt Burn lead Jacob Elordi, has left fans eagerly awaiting its return since February 2022. While the premiere date for its third season remains undisclosed, hopes were raised in November 2023 when HBO chief Casey Bloys revealed that the series was slated for a comeback in 2025 during a presentation in New York, Deadline reported.
Sadly, several issues have contributed to production delays for the hit TV drama. In July, Angus Cloud, who played the drug dealer Fezco in the hit series, passed away from a lethal mix of drugs, the Alameda County Coroner’s office confirmed, according to CBS News.
In August 2022, Barbie Ferreira, who portrayed Kat, announced her departure from the show via her Instagram Story.
“After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character, Kat, I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye,” the actress wrote. “I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did and that she brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today. I put all my care and love into her, and I hope you guys could feel it. Love you, Katherine Hernandez.”
Colman Domingo claimed delays were due to the show’s creator, Sam Levinson.
During an interview with GQ in February, Colman Domingo, who stars as Rue’s mentor, Ali, claimed that the series’ slow return was due to creator Sam Levinson, who was allegedly taking his time to write the perfect script.
He described Levinson as a “person who writes and rewrites and writes and rewrites again because I think he’s wrestling with what’s important.”
The Color Purple actor added, “He’s responding immediately to what the ills of the world are. I know that the one thing I can tell you is that he’s very much interested in the existential question of who we are right now. Our souls. That’s what he wants to figure out with season three.”
In an August 2023 interview with Elle, Levinson described Season 3 as a “film noir” and revealed that Zendaya’s character Rue would return to the show as a recovering addict, exploring “what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world.”
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